


Noodle*

by Spectascopes



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bittybones, Amputation, Bitty Bones, Classic Papyrus, Cuddles, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Found Family, Gen, Happy Ending, Injury Recovery, Major Character Injury, Minor Angst, Mpreg, Permanent Injury, Pregnancy, Skeleton Pregnancy (Undertale), Underfell Papyrus, Unplanned Pregnancy, skelepreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-09
Updated: 2018-06-16
Packaged: 2018-11-30 02:11:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 19,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11453799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spectascopes/pseuds/Spectascopes
Summary: *and ScarA small and pregnant thief breaks into your kitchen to burglarize your bananas. He's adorable, so you decide to let him stay. Tiny skeletal shenanigans ensue.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is a little trade with the lovely [dollhouse-monsters](http://dollhouse-monsters.tumblr.com/) (their bitty classic pap is named Noodle, hence the name in this fic)
> 
> all of the artwork in the story is by them! please go check them out, their art is super awesome <3

 

You were sitting in your living room playing games on your phone when you heard a small noise come from the kitchen. You jumped a little, looking around the dim room. It was two in the morning- prime demon time. That was the only explanation you had for a random noise in the middle of the night. It could be a mouse, but it seemed unlikely.

Standing, you slipped your phone into your pocket and stalked quietly into the darkened area. Small rural house, close to a small town but not close enough- what if a robber had snuck in the window? Or worse, what if a bird had flown inside? What if it was an owl? You shivered at the thought of those big empty eyes and tried to decide what was worse, an owl, a demon, or a burglar.

You peeked into the room and saw nothing. A flick later and you were staring at a brightly lit and empty kitchen. You saw the open window nearby and nearly smacked yourself- you’d opened it earlier when you’d made dinner. It was probably a mouse. A little off-put by the lack of an exciting answer, you trudged over and closed the window.

Just as it had been sealed, something small attempted to dart out from behind your sugar container. You jumped back, because dear god if that was a spider it was fucking enormous, and it ran face-first into the closed window. You stood, hands up in a mockery of some fighting style you didn’t know, ready to decimate whatever bug had dared enter your home.

You heard a small noise and actually looked at the ‘bug’ for a second and realized it was a tiny skeleton.

“Oh. You’re not a spider,” you said stupidly. The little thing had fallen on its rear after its run-in with the glass. You moved forward and took a closer look at it.

It was wearing an oversized sweater, the thread of the fabric looking absolutely massive because of the scale of the bitty. He looked up at you with watery eyes, rubbing his head. He was fat, you noted as you bent over.

“Why’d you break into my house?” you asked as you turned your head this way and that, getting a full view of your strange visitor.

“O-Oh!” he squeaked, scrambling back against the window sill. He was four, maybe four and a half inches? He held his hands together. “I didn’t! Well- I mean I did- but- I wasn’t going to take much!” he eventually stammered out. “I just- smelled food and- I haven’t eaten and I- uhm… I’m sorry.”

You quirked a brow and reached out to gently poke his fat tummy. He squealed and jerked away, a bright blue blush spreading across his face.

“A-Ah, please don’t?” he asked, grabbing his front in shaking hands. Now that you looked at it, it did look… not like normal fat. It was more centered at the front.

“Are you pregnant?”

The bitty went cyan and covered his head with his hands. You snorted and reached out to poke him again, this time very gently on the top of his skull.

“Calm down, little guy,” you said. He looked up at you, hands still obscuring his mouth, tears pricking his eyes.

“I-I’m sorry for breaking into your home,” he sniffled. “If you could just… maybe let me out, I promise I won’t come back.”

You frowned at him. “Well… aren’t you hungry?”

His big pregnant belly growled at the mention of food, which only made the funny little thing squeak in embarrassment and hide his face again. He looked pretty far along- maybe seven or eight months, you guessed. He looked up at you sheepishly, sockets wide with worry.

“I, uhm… y-yes, I am… do you happen to maybe possibly have any food I could maybe possibly eat?” he tittered. You smiled at his redundancy.

“Sure, little dude,” He uncurled enough for you to get a better view of his adorable tummy. You smiled. “What’s your name?”

“A-Ah, Noodle!” he said with a nervous smile. “My name’s Noodle.”

“Heh, that’s a pretty good name.” You told him yours. “What would you like to eat, Noodle? I’ve got all the good stuff.”

He seemed to think about it as he tried to haul himself to his feet. He stumbled a little and fell back with an ‘oomph’ as his belly got in the way. You snickered and reached out your finger, letting him grab on so he could stand.

“Thank you, human,” he said, wiping the residual tears from his face. “I’ll eat whatever you have! I don’t want to be a bother.”

“Hmm… you like bananas?” you asked, spying them on the counter not far away.

“Yes! Yes, I very much do,” he said at once. He smoothed out the front of his pink sweater and you saw his skeleton boobs. It was weird, but you didn’t question it.

It took you a second to cut up the banana into bitty-sized bites. He watched with tangible need, and you swear you saw him drooling as you slid him the plate and he went hog-fucking-wild on the banana bits.

He was funny. You leaned over the counter and watched him eat with a smile on your face. You’d seen bitties before, of course, but you’d never had one of your own.

Noodle looked up and noticed you watching, a bit of banana on his cheekbone. He blushed again and hurriedly wiped it off, finally slowing down his consumption.

“Why’re you out burglarizing people’s bananas at two in the morning?” you asked. “Do you live nearby?”

Noodle swallowed the slice he was working on and looked away. “Ah, well… no, I don’t. I guess, well, technically you could say I don’t really live anywhere…” He looked up at you like you’d be mad.

“Oh, so you’re, like… a wild bitty,” you said, reaching over and snagging a piece of banana for yourself.

“I-I’m certainly not wild!” he exclaimed at once. The indignation on his cute little face, coupled with his heavily pregnant frame, made you giggle.

“Alright, alright… so where’d you come from, then?”

He shut up immediately and looked down at his food. You waited for a while, but he didn’t seem keen on answering.

You sighed. “Well, that’s okay. We just met, I don’t think I’ve earned your origin story yet. How far along are you?”

“Pardon?” he asked, seemingly relieved to have the topic changed.

“In your pregnancy.”

“Oh!” He grabbed the lower hem of his sweater and looked down as it stretched over his swollen belly. “Uhm… almost eight months, I believe?”

“Cool. Is it nine months like it is for humans?”

“Ah… yes, I think so,” he said. He finally seemed to be calming down as his hands rubbed idly up and down his belly. “Do you… happen to know anything about it?”

“What, being pregnant?”

He nodded.

“Well, I’ve never been myself, but I’ve known a few people. And the internet is a wonderful thing.”

He scratched his chin. Goodness, such tiny little hands, like a doll’s or something. He looked up at you with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

“I-I know it’s a lot to ask, but… could I… could I stay here with you?” he questioned softly. He brought his hands down to rest on his belly again. “I don’t want to impose, but… but I’m worried that if I can’t find food, s-something will go wrong… and, if I’m alone, I won’t know what to do, but you seem very smart!” His sockets shined. “I promise I won’t be a bother, and I’ll only eat what I need to, and… and I'll do whatever else you want!”

Even if you’d wanted to say no, which you didn’t, there was no way you could to that hopeful, glimmering little face.

“I don’t see why not,” you conceded. “One condition, though.”

He got a guarded look in his eyes for a moment, but you just gave him a shitty grin and gently booped the top of his skull.

“I get to name the baby.”

His fear melted away and he was smiling. “Yes! Of course, whatever you want!” He reached up and grabbed your hand, hugging it tightly in his tiny skeleton arms. “Thank you so much!”

“No problem, Nood,” you said, snorting at the awful nickname. If he noticed, he didn’t seem to care enough to stop snuggling against your hand.


	2. Chapter 2

After a good night’s sleep, you woke at the decent hour of eleven and had completely forgotten about your new little friend. When you walked out into your living room, half dressed and scratching your ass, you nearly inhaled your toothbrush at the sight of the fat little bitty seated on your couch.

“Good morning!” Noodle greeted you. You stared at him for a second before removing the toothbrush.

“So it wasn’t just a fever dream induced by all those twinkies I ate,” you whispered. Noodle frowned at you from his position.

You were actually glad. You walked over to him and reached down to grab him before thinking better of it. You were used to things like cats that you could man-handle whenever you wanted.

“Can I pick you up?” you asked around the toothbrush and foam in your mouth.

The skeleton looked a little nervous, but he nodded. You reached down and gently eased him into your palm, noting how warm he was. He reclined, giving his belly a little more room.

You took him to the kitchen while you finished brushing your teeth. You went about completing your lackluster morning routine and gave him a thorough once-over.

“What’ll it be for breakfast, little dude?”

He stared up at you from the countertop. What a cutie.

 

One oatmeal breakfast and orange juice shot glass later and the two of you were sitting at the dining room table, enjoying the Saturday morning vibes. Well, Noodle was more sitting _on_ the table than _at_ it, but you figured it still counted. You’d grabbed him a small pillow to sit on and he looked relaxed enough, though he did seem antsy.

“You good?” you asked as you paused your coffee sipping.

He blinked at you. “Yes! Yes, I’m fine, I was… I was wondering if this whole house is yours?”

“Sure is. Lived with my parents for a while after college, but eventually they decided to go move somewhere warmer. They left this old place to me. Been here my whole life.”

“Wow,” he breathed. He looked around at the walls and the pictures as he sat up and laboriously tried to get to his feet. You snorted as he failed to heave himself up, huffing in frustration until you reached over and offered him your hand to use as a crutch.

“You’re having a lot of trouble with that belly, huh?” you asked, allowing him to hold onto your hand.

He blushed a little but didn’t let go. It was kind of nice.

“Want me to pick you up and show you around?”

Noodle was still flushed, but he nodded and you scooped him up and held him against your chest. He grabbed an itty-bitty fistful of your shirt for leverage.

You carried him from room to room and showed off all of your cool stuff. He was so small and warm, holding him felt like holding a week-old kitten or something. His eyes brightened when he got a look at your bedroom.

“Oh, wow!” he exclaimed, readjusting so he had his back to your chest and was using your thumb as a brace. His legs hung over the edge of your hand, and he swung them around as he took it all in.

“Fairy lights,” you said, flicking off the bigger ceiling fixture and walking over to close the blinds. You had them strung up everywhere, because you adored the aesthetic. “You like them?”

“They’re wonderful!” he said. Your chest warmed at his honesty as he turned his skull every which way to take in all the splendor. He looked up at you with big, shining sockets. “I’ve never seen a room this pretty before…”

“Thanks, I try.”

When you showed him the yard and all the flowers, he was once again squealing in excitement. You sat him down near a patch of buttercups and watched as he went over as fast as his legs could carry him and started pulling down the stems to sniff the petals.

The tour didn’t take long, because your house wasn’t that large. You ended up in your bedroom per his request, watching as he sat and stared up at the glow-in-the-dark stars you’d put on the ceiling.

“Gosh, it’s all so nice!” he said softly, sitting close by you on the mattress. “You have a lovely home.”

“Thanks, lil’ dude. You’re a real sweet-talker.”

“But I mean it!” he said, turning to look at your face. “I think it’s grand. And you keep it all clean and taken care of by yourself! That’s impressive, to say the least.”

You chuckled a little. “I guess so.”

Neither of you said anything else. It was noon by that point, and your Saturday laziness was not at all inhibited by the extra person in the house. You just laid back, hands behind your head, listening to the birds outside.

You felt a tiny hand touch your arm, and you looked to see Noodle standing beside you, cradling his stomach.

“Uhm… would you mind if I laid against you?” he asked, blushing as the words left his mouth. “You’re very warm, and… it feels good on my back and hips.”

You rolled over on your side, careful not to jostle the mattress and knock him over, and offered him your hand. His face lit up at once as he crawled into it, careful of his tummy as he curled into your open palm with a soft sigh. You drew him close to you and closed your eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's some angst in this chapter, its probably some of the Only angst thats gonna happen~ thanks for reading!! <3  
> (again, all the lovely chapter art is done by [dollhouse-monsters](http://dollhouse-monsters.tumblr.com/) so plz go check them out!)

 

“So what’s your favorite color?”

“Oh… I like them all! But I’m partial to orange and pink.”

“Favorite season?”

“Spring!”

“Favorite time of day?”

“Sunrise!”

You sat on your porch with Noodle resting gently on your lap as you bombarded him with questions. He didn’t seem to mind, just sighed and leaned into your fingers as you rubbed his spine and the back of his ribs.

“What about you?” he asked, looking up into your eyes. He was getting bigger by the day- a week had passed since he’d snuck into your kitchen window.

“Purple, fall, and night,” you said as you worked his spine and he let out a contented breath. You’d told yourself you wouldn’t spoil him, but it was so hard not to. He was too fucking cute.

He nodded, but gritted his teeth as you touched a new spot on his back. You withdrew.

“You okay?”

“Ah, I’m fine… just an ache,” he said. You didn’t want to do more harm than good, so you just laid your hand over him to warm him up, very gently thumbing his belly through his sweater. He snuggled into the warmth and movement.

It was nice having Noodle around. He was happy, charming, and helpful, among other things. When you’d go to work he’d surprise you with things when you came home- drawings he’d done, or flowers he’d picked, stuff like that. It always made you smile.

“Hey, Nood,” you said, rubbing his skull with your thumb.

“Hmm?”

“Who’s the other parent?”

Noodle looked down at his belly. He seemed to think for a moment before he hummed. “It’s… it’s hard to say. Another skeleton, I’m sure, but… I don’t know who," he admitted, laying his tiny hand on one of your fingers.

“You get around?” you teased, poking his cheekbones. He giggled, flushed blue, and pushed your finger away as best as he could.

“They thought I was sterile, I've never had a heat or anything of the sort... so when the other bitties would go into it, I’d be their… ah… relief, I suppose.”

You blinked, for once caught off guard and unsure of what to say. He glanced up and saw the horrified emotion growing on your face and waved his hands.

“It was consensual! They were always very gentle with me, it wasn’t like it was… you know,” he said, unable to say the word. “We’re monsters, but we’re not _that_ sort of monster…”

“Oh good god,” you said with a sigh. “You’re okay, then?”

He puffed up his chest as much as he could, and you brought him up against you so he could be closer. “Of course! None of the other bitties hurt me- we were all in it together, it was… sort of like a family, I guess you could say.” He looked out over the backyard and suddenly seemed distant.

“So what happened?” you asked, running your thumb along his skull in a poor attempt at comfort.

“W-Well… this happened,” he said, reaching down to hold his swollen stomach. “I don't know how, or why... the others did their best to keep it hidden, so the store owners wouldn’t find out… it was a couple of months until they did.” He leaned into your hand and hugged it. “There was a very low demand for Papy bitties- that’s the type I am,” he added, “and, legally, bitties aren’t allowed to be bred anywhere that doesn’t have a license…”

“So… did they try to send you to one of those places?”

Noodle shook his head. “They decided it would be better to just… get rid of me,” he said.

You blinked down at him. There was short silence. You felt your hand grow wet where his face was pressed to it. It took you an embarrassingly long moment to realize what he was saying.

“Oh…” you breathed, letting it hit you slowly.

Noodle sniffled and pulled away from you to wipe his face. “B-But… it’s okay! The other bitties helped me get away, and… and now I’m here, and I have food, and a place to sleep…” he trailed off. He sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

“I’m sorry, Noodle,” you said. You didn’t really know what else to say.

“It’s okay… really, it’s fine,” he said, but the happiness was gone from his voice and he looked so tired. He was still crying- he made a valiant effort to wipe away the tears as fast as they came, but it was no use. "I'm... I-I'm okay."

"...You don't sound okay," you said softly. That was all it took for him to whine and curl up against you and let out a pathetic little sniffle.

"They... they were going to put me in the freezer," he whimpered. "They said it was... i-it was the most humane way-" he choked on his words. There was a deep ache in your chest as he began to shake. You held him and cooed, unsure of what to do in this situation. He didn’t seem to mind, just clung to you and sobbed.

“I-If it wasn’t for the others, they would have killed me,” he cried between big blubbering breaths. “I-I was so scared- I didn’t know what to do on my own. I thought- e-even if I did manage to get by, what about when the baby came? I would be all alone, a-and I wouldn’t be able to take care of it- a-and-” he broke off as he bawled.

You were garbage at comforting people. You just held him and thumbed his back, aware of the way his shoulders shook and he shuddered as he sucked in air to cry. Poor little guy- after this it was going to be even harder not to spoil the shit out of him. He deserved it, after all he’d been through. God. They were going to put him in the freezer, like some insect who'd lived past its stage of educational value. It made a passionate mix of anger and horror blossom in your chest. Noodle shifted and stared up at you with watery sockets.

“Th-thank you for taking me in,” he sniffled, still trying his best to wipe away the tears. You tried to wipe them away with your thumb, but he intercepted it to warp it in his little arms and give you a hug for all he was worth. It wasn’t much, given his size, but it was all he had.

“No prob, Bob,” you said with what you hoped was a reassuring smile. He let out an awful little laugh that was closer to a sob.

“I’m sorry, I-I’m sorry, I know I’m being emotional,” he whimpered.

“I mean, you have every right to be. That all sounds awful as hell, man.”

He nodded. “I... I was so scared. I'm..." he hesitated for a moment and hiccuped. "I'm... still a little scared."

You stared down at him, still running reassuring fingers over his bones until he calmed down. Such a fragile little thing.

“I'd be terrified if I were you," you affirmed. "But you're here now, yeah? You're all safe and sound, you're gonna have a wonderful little baby and you'll be the best dad in the world, and hell, I'll be right here to help the whole time. That sound like a plan, Noodle?"

He nodded against your fingers. “Thank you so much,” he breathed.

You closed your eyes and let out a breath. "Of course."

You spent the rest of the day listening to the birds.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> go check out the previous chapters, [dollhouse-monster's](http://dollhouse-monsters.tumblr.com/) doing pictures for each chapter and they're absolutely wonderful, lskdfjkds please go check them out or follow them, the art is too cute <3 
> 
> mall trip chapter, to brighten things up from the last one >w>

Noodle needed new clothes.

You sat at breakfast, two weeks after Noodle’s initial arrival, and stared at him and his dirty pink sweater. He munched away at his bacon, which he’d timidly requested from you a couple of days prior. It occurred to you that even if he did need more clothes, he wouldn’t want to be a bother. 

“Hey,” you said, reaching forward and booping the top of his big belly.

That never failed to make him blush. He wiped his greasy bacon fingers on a nearby napkin and touched your finger.

“We should go shopping today.”

Noodle stared at you with big sockets for a moment. He cocked his head to the side.

“Do you need something?”

“Not really, but we need to get you some more clothes. That sweater’s getting a little dirty, bud.”

Noodle went a tad bluer, laying his hands on his belly and looking at the fabric. “Well… it is a bit ratty, isn’t it?”

“Absolutely threadbare,” you affirmed. “Plus, we should look for clothes for the baby.”

He blinked at you for a moment before he looked down at his round stomach again.

“Have you thought of a name for them?” he asked. His eyes were soft as he stared down at his little charge. You smiled.

“How about Naruto.”

“What’s Naruto?” 

“It’s a TV show.”

“Oh! Is it good?”

“Yes. It’s amazing. Probably the best one.”

Noodle smiled. “Whatever you want, human!”

You snorted and scooped him up, bringing him close to plant a kiss on his forehead. “I’m not gonna name your baby Naruto. You’re the one carrying the damn parasite, you should be the one to name them.”

Noodle used your cheeks as leverage as he stood on your palm and looked at your face with a pout. “But if it wasn’t for you, who knows what would have happened!” he exclaimed. “I think you should name them, human. I  _ want _ you to name them.”

You idly smiled at him for a moment. He stood, just inches from your face, giving you a look of determination. You sighed and sat him back down on the table, giving him ample time to maneuver himself around his swollen tummy.

“Okay, okay, whatever you say,” you relented as he found his footing. He smiled, paused for a second, and then looked up at you.

“Do you want to see?”

The question caught you off guard. You quirked a brow at him and he patted his stomach, little skeleton fingers splayed over the round surface.

“The baby,” he clarified.

You grinned. “Yeah, sure, let's see this thing,” you said. Maintaining a cool facade was hard- you’d wanted to ask him to see the baby for a number of days now, but you hadn’t wanted to fluster him.

He smiled and pulled up his sweater, revealing his swollen blue stomach. 

You leaned down, resting your chin on the table, and stared at the little tiny soul that was floating inside. 

“Oh wow,” you breathed. It glowed softly, enough for you to see it through his opaque magic. You reached out, looking quickly to him for permission, before cupping your hand around him and rubbing your thumb against the strange bump. It was warm to the touch.

“That… that’s really neat, Noodle,” you admitted. “You’ve actually got a tiny little thing in there, huh?”

He grinned, just a little bit sheepish, and you grinned right back.

“So… is it just a soul right now? When does the rest of it form?”

Noodle looked away to scratch his chin. “Well, I’m… I’m not too sure! Maybe right before it’s born? Or after?”

You hummed, moving your head around to inspect the bump from all angles. “It’s so small…” you breathed, still idly thumbing the warmth of his magic. You withdrew after a second and pulled his sweater back down for him, still a little in awe of everything.

“Okay! How about we go to town and get you some new clothes, huh? There’s a bitty store at this one mall nearby, maybe they’ll have stuff for little babybones.”

Noodle beamed. 

 

\--

 

He was nervous at first, glancing at every person who drove by like they’d suddenly whip out a fly swatter and batter him to the ground. You kept him close to you, either held in your hands or in the front pocket of the baggy hoodie you’d worn just for him. 

The town was by no means large. There was a mall, some various stores, a college nearby, things like that, but it wasn’t booming. The drive was only ten minutes, though, so it was preferable to anything else. 

It made you smile to see Noodle staring so wondrously at the signs and cars and places you’d come to consider mundane and boring. You pulled into the parking lot of the mall and he held onto your fingers as he stared at the building.

“Oh wow! It’s so big!” he exclaimed. “Do people live in there?”

You snorted at him as you maneuvered around and got unbuckled with one hand. “Nah, it's just stores. You’ve never seen a mall before?”

His eye sockets were practically shining as he got out of the vehicle and you held him up to see more clearly. You took that as a no. You didn’t mind; it was nice to see him so excited and happy. He nestled into the cup of your fingers, his belly hidden.

He didn’t stop asking questions the entire time, his previous fears forgotten as he took in the splendor that was a human mall. He asked what every store was, without fail. 

“Oh my gosh! What are those?” he gasped, leaning forward into the little hand cradle you’d made for him in front of your stomach.

“That’s a video game store. It sells video games,” you said. He looked up at you, face comically surprised.

“Video games! Some of the other bitties at the store talked about those- they’re like… like what you play on your phone a lot, right?” he asked, little skeleton hands clutched against your finger. 

“Exactly. Wanna go in? They’ve got amiibos.”

He was nearly vibrating with excitement. “I don’t know what that is! But yes!”

You happily obliged. God, you loved your little Noodle.

 

Making your way through the mall took a bit longer than usual. You went into literally every store- ones you’d never been in before, just to please Noodle. He was ecstatic, investigating everything he could, the question-flow never once slowing. What was the difference between two of the phones at the Verizon store? Did every candle smell different? Could he smell them all? Could he buy some chocolate? Oh! The chocolate was shaped like a bunny! He wanted that one, if he could. You ended up buying him a tiny candle and some chocolate, because you were physically incapable of saying no to his excited little smile.

You got some looks from people, but it was nothing more than curiosity. He seemed embarrassed about his belly and hid it in your fingers as best he could, and you were glad. It probably wasn’t public knowledge that bitties weren’t supposed to have kids, but you wanted to be safe. You kept him close to you when the bitty store finally came into sight, the scent of candles still clinging to you from the forty five minutes you’d spent in the candle store.

“You’re sure this isn’t the one you escaped from?” you asked as you loitered outside. The windows were brightly lit and neat, filled with miniature furniture and some mock set-ups one might put in a bitty home. Noodle idly played with the string of your hoodie.

“It isn’t! I, uhm, may have snuck onto a few cars after my daring escape… I’m not even sure where I came from. But it’s probably far away! So there’s nothing to worry about!”

You grinned down at him. “You little sneak… the tiniest hitchhiker.”

He grinned back up at you before he leaned over and gave your finger a skeleton smooch. Aw. Okay. Now that was absolutely too cute. You drew him up and planted a human kiss on his skull, and he giggled.

You kept him mostly concealed in your fingers as you entered the store. You’d only been in the place a couple of times- you’d never had your own bitty, so you’d never really had a reason to come.

The store was well-lit and kempt, the tile floor spotted with little displays and racks for supplies and other accessories. It didn’t smell like a pet store- there was no odor of bedding or food or cleaners, just… store-smell. The ineffable smell of a Target. Against one wall was a large variety of bitty houses, all with price tags that made you balk, the other clothes and a couple of tanks with actual bitties. You made your way to the clothes- ah. That price was much more manageable. 

“Look at all of them!” Noodle exclaimed, stars in his sockets. “They’re so cute!”

“How about one more outfit for today, then we can come back for more some other time,” you suggested, and Noodle nodded at once.

It took him a while to look at all the clothes, all hung up on tiny little hangers. He took his time picking them all over. Did he like the red boots, or the black ones? Would another sweater be fine, or should he get something different? Was a scarf included in an outfit? You waited patiently as he looked through all of the things, excitedly showing his favorites to you and asking for your opinion. You nodded along and gave it. You noticed that there were no maternity clothes, or clothes for babybones. Noodle kept looking around for them, too, but his disappointment was curbed as he spotted yet more clothes.

He decided on a short sleeved hoodie that cut off a bit, noting to you that it would give his belly room, and a pair of cute little elastic-banded gym shorts. He went with a pair of brown boots- a sort of happy medium between the black and red ones he’d been debating over- as well as a red scarf that he seemed to particularly enjoy. 

You tried not to look at the actual bitties in the store. It made you feel so guilty, but you knew you couldn’t afford anymore of the things- not with Noodle about to pop like he was. You glanced over and saw little skeleton faces pressed to the glass, looking at you curiously, but you couldn’t keep eye contact. Noodle didn’t seem keen on it either, so you hurried on up and payed for his new clothes and left, the cashier nothing but friendly to you, even giving Noodle a smile and a wave. 

“There was no baby stuff…” Noodle said with a frown after you’d left. You glanced back at the store as you walked away, off in another direction.

“Yeah, that kinda sucks… I’m sure we’ll make-do,” you reassured him, and it seemed to work. He nuzzled into your hand as you carried him.

“Thank you so much for the new clothes, human!” 

“No prob, little dude.”

He leaned back against your stomach with a sigh. “I wish I could help pay for stuff…”

You stopped walking for a moment, bringing your thumb up to rub his big ‘ol belly. “Nah, seriously, don’t worry about it. Probably would have spent the money on phone games anyways, this is way more productive.”

He hummed. The mall wasn’t very populated, but you still didn’t want to stand around and draw attention to your heavily pregnant little friend. 

“You wanna go get some ice cream?” you asked as you began the trek back to the car.

Noodle’s face lit up again. “Oh! Would I!”

“Would you?”

He giggled and hit your stomach with about as much force as a four-inch-tall literal infant.

Ice cream ahoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the clothes noodle buys are the ones hes wearin in the [original design!](http://dollhouse-monsters.tumblr.com/post/162548662082/got-some-bitties-here-%EF%BE%89-%EF%BE%89%EF%BE%9F-totally-didnt)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more nooooodle, once again aslfjs [dollhouse-monsters](http://dollhouse-monsters.tumblr.com/) did the GORGEOUS art for the chapter, plz go love them, ive been staring at it for five hours

 

You needed to get some kind of holder for Noodle, maybe a doofy necklace with a bag on it or something. He was nestled in your hoodie’s front pocket as you ordered some ice cream. Maybe soft serve would have been better, but you were a sucker for the harder stuff, and the image of Noodle falling into a cone of soft serve vanilla and turning into a slimey skeleton mess deterred you from compromise. 

You paid the nice teenager, giving them a few dollars tip and a little awkward finger-gun with your free hand. Noodle, who was peeping up at you from his pouch, saw you do it and giggled. You shot him a look as you turned and made your way to the farthest little table from the building, enjoying the late-summer heat.

“If you make fun of me I’ll eat all the ice cream and won’t let you have any,” you warned as you reached into your pocket and drew the little bitty out. He clutched onto your hand, but no longer with the grasping fear of being dropped. The tiny thing stuck his little blue magic tongue out at you as you sat him on the table and took a seat yourself.

“You wouldn’t!”

“I would. Every last bit of it.”

Noodle smiled, a hand supporting his big belly. You unwrapped the napkin from the cone and wrapped it around him instead, obscuring his frame so no bitty-cops would see he was carrying.

“So how do you eat it?” Noodle asked, looking up at the cone. It was bigger than he was. 

“Like a lollipop, kinda.”

“What’s a lollipop?”

You didn’t have an answer that wouldn’t sound too lewd for a public space. So you just demonstrated- taking a big lick around the bottom so none of the drips would get on your hands. 

“Oh! Isn’t it messy?” 

“Not if you’re an ice-cream eating pro like me,” you said between licks. “Us humans, you know, we train for decades to eat ice cream the proper way.”

Noodles eyes went big. “Really?” 

“Nah. But it can be a little tricky.” You ignored his pout at your joke and moved the cone closer to him. 

It was hilarious to watch him attempt to find the best angle to lick the cone from. He would go to do it, stop, hum, and then try a different approach. His little hands grabbed the base and he leaned forward and just went for it. 

The track his tongue made in the dessert was comically small. His sockets lit up at the taste.

“Oh wow! It’s so sweet!” 

“A sweet treat that’s good to eat, as they say.”

Your dumb recitation went unnoticed as Noodle went ham on the cone. You watched him, careful to pull it back and lick any potentially threatening drops from the side, before letting him go back to it. You hadn’t really given him many sweets- other than Twinkies, you didn’t have much in the house by way of sugar. He seemed to be loving it.

“You like it?” you asked, unnecessarily.

“It’s wonderful!” Noodle exclaimed, pulling back and thumbing the chocolate from around his mouth. “Thank you so much!”

You smiled. It was happening more and more frequently- you’d just find yourself looking down at the little guy with a dumb, affectionate grin on your face. He would always notice and return the display with a skeleton kiss or a grin of equal emotion.

You stared out over the surrounding park, taking in the atmosphere. The place wasn’t at all booming, but it had the ice cream shack, a playground, and a nice little area where squirrels liked to beg for food. You watched as a young boy coaxed some pigeons over with crumbs, only for him to reach his hand out and scare it away. 

“Human?” 

You turned your head down to look at Noodle, who was watching you with a funny expression.

“You look… thoughtful,” he said. You hummed, resting your chin on the palm of your hand and watching the sunlight dapple the trees. The ice cream was gone by that point- between the two of you, it hadn’t lasted very long. Noodle wiped himself off, careful to keep his napkin-wrap around him, and scooched over to be closer to you. He made a bit of a face and paused to hold his stomach, a little ‘oof’ slipping out of him. You helped him the rest of the way so he didn’t overexert himself.

“Just thinkin’ about how funny things are,” you said. Noodle leaned against your arm, resting his little skull as he looked to where you were staring. When he found nothing to explain, he turned back. He didn’t even have to ask to explain, it was written on his face. 

It was easy to scoop him up in your hands and hold him close. He didn’t protest one bit- quite the opposite. He snuggled into your chest as much as his belly allowed with a sigh.

“I figured when I got lonely I’d get a dog or something,” you said, piquing his interest. “Y’know… like people do. I mean, I knew I’d never have, like… another human. That isn’t really my thing…” you realized you were rambling and stringing thoughts together and shook your head a bit, feeling the ridges of Noodle’s spine through his sweater. “I dunno. I guess I’m just really glad that you came along.”

You looked down and saw him staring at you with big sockets. You smiled at him- when were you  _ not _ smiling at him though- and leaned down to peck the top of his skull.

“Love ya, Nood,” you said softly.

His expression was comical. He stared at you in awe for a moment before hugging as much of you as his tiny little arms could reach, nuzzling his head against your body.

“I love you too, human!” 

It made you warm to hear those words after so long and to know, without a doubt, that they were true.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more noooooodle, love this boy
> 
> again! please go love [dollhouse-monster](http://dollhouse-monsters.tumblr.com/) for doing the fuckin absolute banger chapter illustrations- they r holy and good, i want to print them out and eat them or some weird shit like that

It was easy to spoil Noodle. He was always so grateful about everything you did. Brought him home a piece of chocolate from work? A shower of kisses was your thank you. Stopped at the mall and bought him a new, bigger sweater to replace his ratty old one? He didn’t stop thanking you for hours, even said he’d never wear it so it would always stay pristine and beautiful. You told him, Noodle, that’s not what you do with clothes. He blushed. Oh, right, he said.

You kicked your shoes off, the Best Buy bag in your hands and a small hole in your wallet the only thing you had to show for your outing. You stood straighter and let out a deep breath once you were inside- coming home was always great. Coming home to Noodle, though, was… better.

“Welcome home!” the skeleton called from the couch. You smiled and made your way to him, where he was sitting, watching a TV show. The remote was beside him- it took a bit of effort to press the buttons and whatnot, but Noodle had insisted that it was fine. He heaved himself to his feet, stomped on the ‘off’ button, and gazed up at you like a little tiny man staring at godzilla.

“Hey bud,” you greeted, seating yourself and reaching down to steady him as the cushion shifted with your weight. He gave your hand a happy hug, nuzzling his skull into your palm.

“How was work?” he asked as you gently scooped his tiny yet adorable big body up and sat him on your lap, where he quickly curled up with a sigh as the warmth seeped into his no-doubt aching frame. 

“Work was fine, I did make a stop on the way back, though.”

“Where to? The ice cream place?” he asked. You snickered and started rubbing his spine. Ever since you’d gone a week ago, he hadn’t stopped talking about it.

“Nah, here, I’ll show you what I got.”

His interest had been piqued. You rustled in the bag you’d sat on the couch and pulled out a box- not very large, but not tiny, either. He took it in for a moment before staring up at you.

“What is it?”

“It’s a tablet.” 

“What’s that?”

“You know my cell phone that I play on?”

Noodle’s sockets went a bit wider. “Oh! What’s the difference?” he asked as he shifted so you could get to his spine easier, leaning into the rubs.

“Well, tablets are for at home, they don’t get cell service, so they have to be connected to wi-fi. Which, y’know, we have here, but the range only covers the house,” you explained as simply as you could. You knew he didn’t understand technical stuff very well. 

He rubbed his chin for a moment. His expression of intrigue was comical. 

“But… can’t you use your cell phone at home?” he questioned, quirking a bone brow. “I don’t understand why you need two.”

“Well, I don’t,” you said. A sly grin was spreading on your face. “This one’s for you.”

If the chin-scratch had been comical, the way his mouth opened a bit in shock, sockets enormous, was absolutely hysteric. He grabbed the fabric of your shirt a little tighter as he pulled himself up.

“You… you got me a phone?” he breathed. 

“More or less. You can’t text, but in this day and age, you hardly need to. Any old messenger system would… do…” you trailed off as you noticed the tears starting to pool at the corner of his eyes. “Uh… Noodle? You okay?”

“Y-You got me a phone,” he repeated, pressing himself to your belly as much as  _ his _ belly allowed. 

“A tablet, but, yeah,” you said, cupping your hand around him. “Should I… not have done that?”

“No! No, I’m… I-I’m…” Noodle was crying at that point; he had to sniffle before he could talk. “I just… I…”

“You just…?” you pressed, anxiety building in your chest. Either he was  _ really _ grateful right now, or you’d done something wrong. He was trying to rub the tears away, but they were still going strong. He just cried for a minute.

“Listen, Nood… if it makes you uncomfortable, I can take it back,” you said softly. “We can get you something else, if that’d make you feel better.”

“You got me a  _ phone _ ,” Noodle cried, face hidden in your shirt. “Phones are… phones are for  _ people _ .”

You blinked. Well that was… not at all what you were expecting. Or within ten miles of it. You had to stop for a second and process his words, but in that time he was already blubbering.

“You, you just- y-you treat me like a  _ person _ !” Noodle stammered, wiping at his soaked little skull, still not looking at you. “N-Nobody’s ever… done that! I don’t… I don’t understand,” he finished. He turned his face up, the tears still flowing. 

The picture he painted, pregnant body curled up into the warmth of your lap as much as he could curl around his cargo, his eyes full of some strange emotion as well as tears… it made your heart ache. You’d already forgotten the tablet, so you plucked him up with two hands and held him to your chest, where he quickly put his head back into the fabric and sniffled.

“I-I’m sorry-” he sobbed- “I’m sorry for crying. I just… I don’t understand.”

“It’s alright, little guy,” you said quietly. He got emotional a lot, what with all the changed from the pregnancy, but this was… different. You rocked him gently and waited for him to calm before you took a deep breath.

“Noodle.”

He peeked up at you with a hiccup. God, he was so small. So small, and fragile, but… amazing. He was almost completely engulfed by your hands, like a child clutching a toad in their clammy little palms to go and show their mothers. You leaned down to quickly plant a kiss on his head before you steadied yourself.

“I know there’s… a lot of stuff going on, with bitties and people and all the lines and stuff…” you tried to think of the words you were trying to say. “I know some people think that you guys… are pets. And some bitties are okay with that, I guess?” 

Noodle nodded, hooked on every word, a teary and snotty mess.

“And there are… some people… like me,” you said, averting your eyes, not really sure of your footing on this topic, “who didn’t really think about that stuff until… certain events. Events like… a bitty coming into their lives,” you explained, shifting Noodle to one hand so you could impulsively rub the back of your neck. “And I just think that… if you  _ want  _  to be more than a pet, and if you  _ want _ to be treated like a person… then you should be. Because you are a person. You’re just… little.”

It took you a few moments to muster the nerve to look down at Noodle. When you did, a face full of wonder stared up at you. You gave your neck one more rub before bringing your hand back down and giving him more palm-room to shift in. He grabbed onto your thumb and held it close as his eyes drifted down. The silence was deafening.

“I mean, of course, if you want. It’s up to you. I just, y’know, you’ve made my life a lot better since you came, and I’d do anything to keep you safe and happy,” you blabbered, caving into the pressure of vocalizing emotions like you always did. “And tablets, y’know, tablets are great- you can watch netflix on them, wouldn’t even have to step on the remote to change the channel. Or Youtube- there’s youtube, that’s fun too-”

“I love you,” Noodle said suddenly, cutting you off. You ceased your word-vomit and stared down at him. He was smiling- still crying, but smiling. You met one another’s eyes for a long second before he pressed himself into you with a happy sound that might have been a laugh, or a sob.

“I love you so much, a-and I don’t know what I did to deserve this,” Noodle continued. “I… I don’t know if I  _ do _ deserve this.”

“Of course you do,” you said at once. “You’re so sweet, and kind, and confident- you’re the best friend I could ever ask for.”

Noodle tittered a teary little giggle before he wiped the tears away, this time for good. “I guess you’re right,” he whispered, hugging you as fully as he could with his tiny little arms as he nestled in your palms. 

“I guess I am,” you replied, smiling yourself. “And, y’know… I love you, too.”

Noodle laughed. Your heart soared, and you swear you saw his soul shine through his sweater. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> noodles,,, ahoy
> 
> dollhouse-monsters put all the lovely illustrations so far in one post! [go check it out!!!](http://dollhouse-monsters.tumblr.com/post/166090858057/noodle-written-by-spectascopes-theperfecta)

Noodle’s strange food cravings had finally began to subside after three weeks of proper nutrition. When he’d first arrived, he’d been malnourished and his body was spamming him with signals to eat, to get enough and the right kind of food for his baby. It had taken a while to break him into asking, but eventually he’d gotten accustomed, and had since gotten back to full health. It amazed you how resilient bitties were, and how quickly they could heal.

He was, of course, still a very late-term little dude, so strong emotions and other urges did come up.

You were sitting with him on the couch on a quiet Saturday afternoon, playing games on your phone like you always did while Noodle practiced his hand-knitting. They didn’t exactly make knitting needles small enough for bitties, but thanks to some hipsters on the internet, he was learning to do it with his hands. His yarn was more like string, but given his size, that made a good bit of sense. It was nice to watch him work. He was making a… well. You couldn’t tell, but you assumed it would turn out.

You were so concentrated on your game that you didn’t feel the tiny hand pressed to your outer thigh. Noodle said your name and your concentration broke, and you watched your dumb bird run into a wall spike and fall sadly to the depths of hell. You spent a second mourning before you locked your phone and looked down at Noodle.

“Oh, sorry, did I kill you?”

“Yeah but it’s fine. What’s up?”

He blushed a little and touched his pointer fingers together like some kind of anime character.

“Well, I was wondering if… maybe, if you feel like it, we could go get some ice cream?” he proposed, hitting you with the puppy-dog sockets.

A sly smile spread across your face. “Oh, I don’t know… not sure if I like you enough to take you all the way to the park…”

Noodle stared up at you, his face falling. “O-Oh… that’s-”

You _snrk’d_ and scooped him up, planting a kiss on his belly. “I’m just joking, you little ice cream fiend. Of course we can go- you wanna wear your new outfit?”

Noodle brightened immediately. “I want to wear the sweater you got me! I love it so much,” he said, hugging your thumb.

“It’s almost the same as your old one, though,” you said, but god if he didn’t make you smile.

He shook his head. “No it isn’t! Because I got the new one from you, and you’re special, so the special rubbed off on the sweater.”

“Maybe don’t rub off on the sweater, it’s a pain to wash.”

Noodle pulled away to look up at you for a solid four and a half seconds before he squeaked and slapped you again.

“Human! That’s disgusting!”

You snickered.

 

Noodle went for mint chocolate chip on his second round to the ice cream place, and you were overjoyed. It was one of your favorites. You and your bitty sat at the park in the warm sun, sharing your treat. It was comical to watch Noodle try to bite into the big chocolate chunks.

Given the season, there was a plethora of kids running around the tall, sparse trees and the nearby playground. The younger ones were chasing squirrels or attempting (and usually failing) the monkey bars while the older ones were hunting for Pokemon. Ah, to be young.

“Next time,” Noodle began, using his napkin to wipe away some of the green from his mouth, “I want to try strawberry.”

“Strawberry is a good third choice,” you affirmed, licking around the base and taking your turn on the communal cone. “Too bad they don’t make little bitty cones.”

“I like eating yours,” Noodle said with a playful grin. You returned it and offered him the cone again, but he held up his hands.

“No thank you! I’m so full I could burst.”

“From ice cream, or the baby?” you asked. Noodle could only keep his mock-angry face stern for a second before it broke into a smile.

“I do wonder when it will come… you don’t think something went wrong, do you?” he asked, a bit of worry crossing his face.

“Nah, you seem fine, if something went wrong we’d know,” you said, even though it might have been a lie to some extent. It was enough to reassure Noodle, who turned and began to look out at the park, but you were worried yourself. There was nobody to go to even if something did happen, so all either of you could do was hope. But he had to be at least eight months along, and he seemed fine. Achey, emotional, and fat, but nothing out of the ordinary.

“So is this human school?” Noodle asked, his eyes following a kid as they nearly tripped over a tree root.

“Nah, kids get school off over the summer. School’s this big dumb building where they sit at desks all day and are forced to learn stuff and read bad books.”

“That sounds awful!”

“It is,” you said, crunching up the last bit of the cone and swallowing it. “That’s one perk of being a skeleton, you aren’t legally required to attend school.”

Noodle hummed. You wiped your fingers clean before leaning over the table and putting your hand down for him to rest against, taking up your usual job of rubbing his back. You watched the kids together for a few minutes, basking in the hazy summer air and watching the sunlight shine through the leaves and dapple the ground below.

A gaggle of kids were all gathered around a tree a good thirty feet away. You stared at them, feeling sorry for the bug or animal that was without a doubt being pestered. Noodle seemed to be watching them as well.

All at once the kids shouted and jumped back, only to laugh it off and go back to it a moment later. You sighed.

“I’m gonna go save the poor mouse they’re probably torturing over there,” you said, getting to your feet and offering your hand to Noodle. He gladly accepted, climbing into one of your palms and grabbing your fingers for leverage as you started the walk towards the little rabble-rousers.

As you approached the tree, one of the kids on the outskirts of the group caught sight of you. More importantly, it seemed, they caught sight of the bitty in your hands. Their eyes went comically wide before they quickly thumped the nearest one on the back and whisper-shouted something you couldn’t quite hear.

The group quickly dispersed after that, shouting and giggling like kids did as they made their daring escape.

“What’s so funny?” Noodle asked as you approached their prey to make sure the poor animal was alright.

“Kids are kids, they think everything’s funny,” you said with a shrug. The tree roots had formed out and made a small crevice where a bit of grass had grown up, making the perfect hiding spot for some little creature. You kept your distance, balancing Noodle in your palm as got down on your knees and looked at the little tree-root cave.

There was a bitty huddled inside.

You looked at Noodle, who looked at you, and then both of you looked to the faint red glow coming from a scrawny little skeleton, and then you looked back at each other. The two of you were both surprised beyond words, but the thing had obviously seen you.

“Get the fuck away!” the bitty snarled, bright red glow seeping from his socket. “Come any closer and I’ll- I’ll fucking-” the bitty broke off, clearly incapable of thinking of a threat. You shifted a bit closer to get a better look at him, too dumbfounded to heed his words.

He was a tall bitty, a good bit taller than Noodle. He was wearing tight black pants that were tattered and torn, and a shirt that was equally as dirty and ratty. He had sharp little fangs, and as your eyes stayed on his face you saw that he had an enormous crack going across his left eye socket.

“I said stay _back_ you fucking idiot!” He growled, but in the same breath he pressed himself further against the back of the crevice. As he moved, he hissed and collapsed to grab his left leg.

“Woah woah, hey, we’re not gonna hurt you,” you said, finally pulling yourself from your surprise and getting down lower to hopefully come off as less intimidating. You held Noodle close, afraid that the bitty might attack him. He was far more shocked than you, his little hands clutched onto your fingers.

“The fuck you’re not!” the fiery little thing spat. He was putting on a brave show, but once you looked closer you could see his tremors and the tears beginning to form in his sockets. His leg was clearly injured- he could hardly move. The big crack didn’t look recent, at least, but it made you question how long this guy had been without a home.

“I’m serious, I’m stayin’ here, I’m not gonna hurt you,” you said, sitting back on your legs. “I didn’t realize those kids had a bitty over here- I thought you were a squirrel or something.”

The skeleton didn’t respond, just shot daggers at you. You felt a little hand tap your thumb and you looked down at Noodle. Tree-bitty seemed to realize what you were holding in your hand as well, because his eyes widened.

“Let me talk to him,” Noodle said gently.

“I’m not putting you down there- you could get hurt-”

“I’ll stay in your hand,” Noodle said solemnly. You looked at him, big and pregnant and fragile, and then at the wild bitty in the tree roots. He was watching the two of you as well, eyes flicking back and forth while his bones rattled.

“You- you stay away from me,” he growled, but he was losing his spirit. You felt bad for the guy, so you held Noodle down so the other skeleton could see him more clearly. You sat Noodle on the ground but kept a protective hand around him as the two bitties stared at each other.

“We’re not gonna hurt you,” Noodle said softly. “I promise, my human’s a really good one.”

You ignored the way your heart soared at being addressed as Noodle’s human and watched the edgy little bitty for a reaction. His fangs ground together and his fingers grabbed at the tree trunk behind him.

“How do I know you won’t find m-my owner and send me back?” he growled, but it came out like more of a whine. He was trying so hard.

“We won’t!” Noodle said immediately, holding up his hands. “I promise. But… you’re hurt. Your leg…”

“There- there’s nothing wrong with my leg,” he growled, his one eye still glowing red. “I’m fine!”

There was a bit of a stare-down. The injured bitty glared at you and Noodle, and you just stared back at him in pity. As the moment dragged on and his labored breaths broke the silence, his resistance seemed to waver.

“Don’t… don’t touch me…” he mumbled through his fangs.

You realized that it wasn’t his resistance fading- his magic became fainter and his breaths faster before he collapsed into a heap on the ground

“Oh my god!” Noodle said at once, hurrying forward. You were with him, quickly scooting over and taking a closer look at the thing.

His pants had been so dark you hadn’t noticed the strange red liquid that was seeping from his wounded leg. Noodle went as fast as his pregnant frame could carry him and stared down at the unconscious little guy.

“What do we do?” Noodle cried, looking to you as though you had any fucking clue what to do in this situation.

“Okay, fuck, let’s…” you ran a hand through your hair, looking down at the pile of bruised bones. “Let's get him back to the car.”

“He’s bleeding,” Noodle observed, blinking up at you as tears filled his vision. “Oh human, what if he- what if he dusts-”

“He’s not gonna dust, we just have to get him somewhere safe so we can fix his leg,” you said, scooping Noodle up and tucking him into your pocket as you reached forward and gently eased the injured bitty into your palms. He was limp as a recently dead animal, but his soul was still flickering and he wasn’t turning to dust, so you assumed you still had time. You hurried back to your car, unconcerned with the people looking at you in confusion.

It didn’t even occur to you that you might have just been cosmically bestowed another bitty. All you cared about was making sure he didn’t dust before you could get him home.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: descriptions of p serious injury in this chapter
> 
> art by [dollhouse-monsters!](http://dollhouse-monsters.tumblr.com/)

 

The little bitty- a Boss, Noodle informed you- made it home without dissolving. You were glad you hadn’t been pulled over, at the speed you’d been going you would’ve definitely gotten a ticket. 

The bag of bones felt so small in your palms, despite being taller than Noodle. His breaths were coming in short, labored gasps as you took him to the kitchen sink and quickly tore through the cupboards for your first aid kit. Noodle thumped your stomach from inside your pocket and you quickly plucked him out and sat him beside the injured skeleton.

“We- we need to stop the bleeding,” Noodle said, standing over the bitty. “Right? That’s what we should do?”

“Yeah, stop the bleeding,” you said, pulling out the box and taking a quick inventory of your things. “Take his pants off, okay?” 

Noodle made a noise of affirmation before he got to his knees, struggling around his belly. You drew out various bandaids and bandages, along with alcohol wipes and anything else you could imagine a use for.

Noodle tugged the bitties pants down, blushing at the other’s nudity but pushing through for his sake. Right below the knee, the pants had been torn, so you expected that to be the location of the injury. 

“O-Oh my- g-” Noodle broke off and turned away, hands over his mouth. You winced as the injury was exposed to the open air.

It was a deep, jagged slash, caked with old blood but still managing to ooze around it. You gulped. It went through nearly the entire bone, enough to make you worry about it snapping. Noodle looked up at you in visible distress.

You noticed something strange about the bone beneath the wound. With shaking fingers, you pulled his pants the rest of the way down and your eyes went wide.

The leg was rotting away. Not in the way that a human’s would, but it was easy to see that the limb was not doing well. It was darkened to the same deep red as the skeleton’s magic, some patches turning gray and starting to dust. You quickly put your hand between the leg and Noodle before the bitty could turn and see the horrible injury.

“Nood, don’t look,” you murmured, eyes glued to the awful sight.

“Wh-What do we do?” Noodle cried. His sockets were wet with tears.

This was beyond you. Noodle put his head into your palm.

“Noodle,” you said gently, grabbing a nearby dishtowel and wrapping the injured bitty in it. “I have to take him to the vet. You stay here, okay?”

“B-But-!”

“No buts,” you said at once, taking Noodle in your free hand and carrying him quickly through the home, to his usual position on the couch. His little fingers grabbed at you, but you didn’t have time. “You can’t go because you’re pregnant, and if the vets see that they’ll take you.”

“What if they send him back- to his owner-” Noodle began.

“I’ll make something up,” you said, resting your hand against your bitty for a second. “It’s gonna be fine, okay? I’ve got my phone, message me from the tablet if there's an emergency.”

The sniffling skeleton looked like he wanted to protest, but after a deep breath he steeled himself. A hand went down to support his stomach.

“O-Okay. Okay- I’ll stay here.”

You gave him a soft smile and a boop on the head. “I’ll message you when I get there.”

Noodle nodded, wiping away his tears. You would have comforted him further, but the dying bitty in your arms was more urgent. 

You made it to the car, setting the bitty on your lap, and turned the keys and quickly looked up the nearest emergency vet. An hour- you glanced down at the scarred face wrapped in the cloth and winced.

“You hang in there, alright little dude?”

 

 

You hustled into the building with an intact skeleton held in your arms, but you had no idea how long that would be the case. The woman at the desk gave you a look as you hurried over and stood in front of her.

“Hi, I’m Anne, what’s your emergency?” she asked, craning her neck a bit to see what you had clutched to you.

“A bitty- m-my bitty,” you said, your lie already rehearsed dozens of times in your head. “He ran away a couple weeks ago and came back and his leg is really bad- it’s like, rotting, or something,” you said, hoping to convey your distress. 

The woman blinked. “A bitty? What breed?” 

“He’s a Boss,” you said, praying Noodle was right. “He’s really bad- he passed out, I think from blood loss.”

The woman took a few seconds to write something down before she picked up the phone and called somebody. You left her to it and stared down at the little face peeking from the dish towel.

“C’mon, just a bit longer, you’re doin’ great,” you whispered down to the thing. You didn’t even know his name and you were already so attached. 

The woman behind the desk asked you for your information, which you gave. It took way too long- everything took way too long, you were afraid the skeleton could dust at any moment. It felt like an eternity before she finally looked at you and beckoned to the seat closest to the entrance to the medical area.

“You get top priority,” she said. “Go ahead and sit there, Dr. Darren will be out soon.”

“Thank you,” you said far too quickly. You ignored the dirty looks the other people in the room were giving you, but none of them seemed too upset. Most had dogs, one person had a kitten, but none of them looked like they were about to keel over and die.

With your phone in your hand, you knew that only seven minutes passed between taking a seat and the vet emerging, but it felt like hours. You had messages from Noodle- you replied, telling him that you were at the vet, that the Boss bitty was still alive. An older man close to you pointed to the “no cell phones” sign with a  huff.

“Sorry, sorry,” you said immediately, shooting Noodle a quick message before you tucked your phone into your hoodie pocket. 

When your name was finally called, you shot up like lightning and nearly collided with the vet. 

“Fuck, sorry,” you said, only to wince at the uttered curse. “Sorry.”

“It’s alright,” she said. “I’m Dr. Darren.” She was a taller lady with a thick frame and pulled-back brown hair. She motioned for you to follow her as she led the way back into the main area of the clinic. People were doing things, but you were only concerned with the bitty and the doctor. She took you to a room, where she pointed to the metal table off to the side.

“Go ahead and put him there, I’ll have a look after some general questions,” she said. 

“U-uh, he- I don’t want to be rude but I don’t know if he’s got time for general questions,” you stuttered, heart beating with worry. You did as you were told, though, and gently sat the cloth onto the hard surface and unwrapped the skeleton.

The vet started to respond before she caught sight of the leg. You stepped back, relieved that somebody who knew what they were doing was finally involved in the situation.

“That is a very serious injury,” she remarked, moving forward and inspecting it. “What happened to him?”

“I don’t know,” you began, which wasn’t a lie. “He ran away, or maybe he got taken by something, I don’t know, but he came back a few weeks later and he was like this.”

“What’s his name?” she asked, pulling up his tattered, dirty clothes to look at the rest of his bones.

“I just call him Boss,” you lied.

“How did he get this crack?” the woman questioned, very lightly tapping his skull.

“He had it when I got him,” you lied again, wringing your hands. “That was years ago.”

She nodded and continued to look him over. You took the opportunity to stand back and finally relax. Whatever happened now, you’d done all you could- he was at the best place he could be at the moment.

“Well, you have two options,” Dr. Darren said, stepping away from the unconscious bitty. “We can perform immediate surgery to remove the leg, or we can euthanize him.”

“Wh-what?”

She gave you a sad look. “His left leg is rotting. If it isn’t removed, he won’t make it,” she said. “The surgery is inexpensive, but the medicine involved after the fact is very much so. Medicinal treatment for bitties is costly.”

“Oh man,” you said at once, rubbing your forehead. “How expensive?”

“No less than a thousand, no more than two,” she said. “Unlike dogs and cats, bitties sometimes don’t recover well from amputation. There is a chance that, even with the surgery, he could end up dying.”

You let out a breath and stared at the little thing on the table. He looked so small out in the open, like some discarded doll. The doctor took in your silence and continued:

“I would recommend euthanizing him.”

You shook your head at once. “No- no, I want the surgery,” you said, imagining if it was Noodle on the table instead of this strange new bitty. “I have enough money, I’ll just be eating ramen for a while.”

Dr. Darren looked you over for a moment before she nodded. “Of course. The procedure doesn’t take long when performed on bitties, due to their lack of skin and muscle,” she explained. “A couple of hours, at most. The anaesthesia will take up to twelve hours to wear off, and it would be best if he recovered at home. I’ll prescribe antibiotics and pain medicine.”

“Okay,” you said, trying to do the mental math of where all the money was going to come from. “Should I wait here?”

The doctor went to the bitty and scooped him up before nodding. “You can, if the drive was far. Feel free to use your phone in the waiting area, just make sure it’s silenced.”

You nodded, staring at the skeleton in her arms. His scarred head lolled as she moved.

A nurse took you back to the waiting area with a sympathetic smile. You couldn’t quite manage to return it, choosing instead to sit and pull out your phone and play your phone games in stressed silence.

Of course you couldn’t let him die. Of course you had to get him the surgery. But between caring for an ornery, injured bitty, and Noodle’s impending birth, you didn’t know what you were going to do.

Nearly an hour passed before a push notification popped up. A facebook message from Noodle.

_ “Is he going to be okay?” _

_ “Think so. His leg’s getting amputated and I’m bringing him back with me. We might be low on money for a month or two, bud.” _

_ “I can help!” _ Noodle responded. You smiled down at your phone, seeing the ‘typing’ bubble still going.  _ “I can take care of him, and maybe in return he’ll help with the baby! Everything will turn out okay, human, I know it.” _

You wiped away the beginnings of tears and sent him a heart. God you hoped he was right.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So this fic is on hiatus for a while, I recently got a job and so my attention has been divided, but somebody was kind enough to sponsor this and the next chapter of the fic! If you're interested in my personal life and the status of this (and all my other fics) you can read my update [here](http://theperfecta.tumblr.com/post/168366116984/december-update) and take a look arounddd
> 
> As always, [dollhouse-monsters](http://dollhouse-monsters.tumblr.com/) illustrated the title card thingy and its sooooo good, go give them love <3

You sat in the waiting room for two hours, sporadically messaging Noodle and trying to keep your head about you. Other patients went in and out, getting their dogs checked on and their kittens diagnosed with respiratory infections and whatever else mundane happened at a vets office. You watched and tried to keep a head count, but you always got distraced.

When Dr. Darren finally emerged again, you nearly choked. You were on your feet in a moment to hear the news. She called your name, unnecessarily, and you followed her back to the same room you were in before.

On the table was the Boss bitty, wrapped in a clean, soft cloth. You felt tears of relief well in your eyes as she began speaking.

“The amputation went well,” she reported, putting together a small cardboard carrying box for you to put the bitty in. “If all goes well, he should be fully healed in three weeks. Now, the medicine-”

You listened in rapt attention as she explained when to give it and how. The antibiotics were to be taken orally twice a day, the pain reliever once in the morning. Let the incision area breathe every two days for a couple of hours, and keep it clean.

After you wrote everything down in your phone to be doubly sure, the wounded monster was gently placed into the box and handed to you. He fit snugly inside so you didn’t have to worry about him sliding around and bumping things.

You walked out of the vets office with the recovering bitty in tow and a massive hole in your wallet. You felt overwhelmed and pressured as you got into the car and buckled the bitty into the seat beside you. You’d faced worse- when your car had broken down, you’d been out three grand and had to sell some video games to get by. And in the end, it had all worked out. Cheap dinners and no ice cream for a few months, though, that was the trade off.

It was worth it, to save the little bitty’s life.

The car ride was filled with financial worry, but as soon as you stepped back into your home, Noodle was shouting from the couch.

“Human! Is Boss okay? Will he recover?”

You hurried in and scooped the frantic bitty up, kissing his skull. That felt better- just holding him was enough to make you relax. You sat down, Noodle in your lap, and opened up the carrying box you’d been given to reveal the sedated bitty inside.

“Oh thank goodness!” Noodle exclaimed, teary eyed.

“Vet said he’ll be okay,” you consoled, rubbing his back. “We’re going to have to take care of him, though. He needs to take his medicine, and I’m sure he’ll need help adjusting to a missing leg.”

Noodle sniffled. “Poor Boss! I can’t even imagine not having one of my legs…”

“Me neither,” you agreed, “but when he’s healed we can look into getting him a prosthetic. Vet didn’t mention it, but I’m sure there’s somebody out there who can make a bitty a fake leg.”

Noodle nodded resolutely, staring from your lap into the little snug box, the Boss’s face peaceful as he slept. “He’s not going to be happy when he wakes up…”

“No… he’s definitely not going to like this one bit,” you said with a sigh. “You let me handle it, okay? I know he might trust another bitty more, but if he lashes out…”

Noodle huffed, but he seemed to understand.

Now it was time to wait.

 

It was nearly two in the morning when the little bitty finally began to stir. Noodle was in your room per your request- he was heavily pregnant, he didn’t need to deal with this sort of stress. So the burden was left to you.

You watched as the bitty groaned and started to shift. Phone sat down in a second, you peered into the box and swallowed. The little skeleton’s broken face twisted as one of his legs wiggled. Not being able to move the other must have been enough to wake him up.

The reaction was immediate. His sockets went wide and with his healthy leg he began to kick- the cloth came undone and just like that he was staring at the little stump of bone where his right leg used to be.

You felt sadness well in your heart. The poor thing- as you watched him, quiet and still from your position, his breathing started to thin, turning into rasping pants. He was so small and fragile, all tucked into his little box. You shifted just an inch, and that was that.

“F- Fuck-” the new bitty gasped, scrambling back against the enclosure, but it was too tall for him to scale. He toppled over, unused to balancing on just one leg, but was quick to right himself and press as far from you as possible.

“It’s okay- easy, I’m not gonna hurt ya,” you tried, but he just hissed as the tremors began.

“Wh- what did you do?” he gasped, too surprised to be truly angry. “What did you do to me? Where- where the fuck is my leg?”

You swallowed the lump in your throat and tried not to move too much, unwilling to scare the already terrified thing.

“You passed out in the park… I took you to the vet and told them you were my bitty, so they wouldn’t send you back. Your leg was… rotting. They had to amputate it.”

“No- no no no, you’re _lying_ ,” he snarled, but god was it pathetic. He stared at his little stub. “You fucking s-sick piece of shit, who were you betting on?”

You blinked, thrown for a loop. “Excuse me?”

“The fights!” he cried, but tears were starting to well in his eyes. “You took my leg so I couldn’t fight! So somebody else could win!”

You didn’t know what to say. You stared at him for a long moment, the poor thing’s tremors getting worse and worse until you feared he’d shake himself apart.

“Fuck- I can’t-” he rasped, red eyes wild. “Can’t fuckin’ breathe-”

He flung himself at the side of the box and nearly succeeded in toppling it over the edge of the couch. You shot your hand out to steady it, holding it to keep him from doing that again, but it didn’t stop him.

Your gut was twisted into a pretzel at the sight of him. He looked wild, frantically throwing himself against the sides of the boxes, stuttering swears under his breath and hissing. He looked like a feral cat, one with a missing leg that didn’t know how to walk.

“I promise- hey, I promise, okay? I didn’t cut your leg off. They had to amputate it, or you would’ve dusted,” you tried to explain, but he just shook his head and clawed at the cardboard, falling over onto the cloth as he lost his balance.

“You’re lying- you’re lying-” he babbled, trying to heave himself back up. The tears were falling freely now, his eyes still wide and scared. “Get away from me- get the fuck away from me-”

You watched him curl up into a ball, halfway on his cloth and halfway on the bare cardboard. Both hands grabbed his intact knee and pulled it close to his face.

You didn’t want to leave him alone, but god you couldn’t bear to stay. With shaking hands, you tucked the box between a couple of pillows so it wouldn’t fall, and you left.

As you stood in the kitchen doorway and anxiously played your phone game, you heard the Boss bitty begin to wail and sob.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another chapter!
> 
> life update/upcoming sponsored content post for those interested can be found [here!](http://theperfecta.tumblr.com/post/169329545939/january)
> 
> [dollhouse-monsters](http://dollhouse-monsters.tumblr.com/) did the illustration!! go give them all the love cause its phenomenal as always uwu

 

You felt horrible about it, but you honestly couldn’t bear to stay and listen to the bitty cry. You went to your bedroom and quickly found Noodle amidst the blankets on your bed and scooped him up. He didn’t protest, only snuggled against your neck as you brought him up to it and gave the top of his skull a little kiss.

“Is he okay?” Noodle asked with a sniffle. The Boss’s initial cries had been so loud, it was no wonder the little guy had heard them. He’d quieted down, but he had still been at it when you’d left.

“He’s… alive,” you said, usual silly mood forgotten. “Not happy, but alive. I think he was part of some kind of… illegal bitty fighting ring?”

“Oh no,” Noodle sighed, snuggling closer to you. “Poor Boss…”

“Yeah, you said it,” you agreed. You gently rubbed Noodle’s big belly with your hand, taking comfort in how close he was. The little guy radiated positive vibes. “I’m gonna stay in here and let him calm down… he shouldn’t be able to get out of the box by himself, so once he’s a little more… coherent… I’ll go back out and try to talk to him again. He’s terrified.”

“I would be, too,” Noodle said. “Should I go with you? Maybe if he sees me, he’ll trust you more…”

“If you want to, but if things get hairy it’d make me feel better if you stayed in here. If he’s a fighting bitty, I don’t want him lashing out.”

Noodle hummed in agreement.

 

You gave the scared bitty an hour to chill out. During that time, you gave Noodle’s little back a massage, kissing his tummy a couple times, which never failed to make him giggle. The atmosphere was tense, but you did what you could to lighten it. You didn’t want the pregnant little guy stressing out.

When you went back to the injured bitty, Noodle balanced in one hand, legs swinging in the spaces between your fingers, you found him curled in the corner of the box with his single leg drawn up. When he saw you approach over the lip of the box, he drew back further.

The poor guy looked miserable. His eyes had dark blotches under them from his crying, tear tracks running down his cheekbones. He was still shaking, even after an hour.

“Hey, Boss… you doin’ okay?” you asked, sitting down hesitantly beside the box.

“Scar,” came the shaky reply.

“Huh?”

“My name is Scar,” he mumbled, bringing a wrist up to wipe at his face.

“Oh… Scar,” you repeated, looking down at Noodle before turning back to the bitty at hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Can’t say the same,” he growled, but there was hardly any venom in it. He glared at you before turning away. You could tell by his posture that he was trying to conceal his quaking frame, but it didn’t work too well.

“This is Noodle,” you said, ignoring the rude comment, and then you told him your name. “I know we didn’t meet under ideal circumstances, but… I promise we aren’t going to hurt you. I’m really sorry about your leg.”

Scar buried his head in his knee, refusing to meet your eyes. Noodle swallowed and leaned forward.

“I know you’re scared, but-”

“I’m not scared!” Scar hissed. Noodle blinked down at the bitty, who had more tears welling in his sockets as he turned to glare once more.

“O-Okay… I’m sorry, Scar, I didn’t mean to upset you,” Noodle apologized.

“The only thing that's _upsetting_ me is the fact that y-your stupid human cut m-my leg off!” he whined, breath hitching. “I’m fucking _worthless_ now!”

“You’re not worthless,” you said, but Scar just shook his head and sniffled.

“I can’t fight- I can’t walk- you fucking broke me.”

Your poor heart ached for the guy. His self worth was obviously based on this fighting thing- to see him so crushed was devastating, even if you’d done all you could.

“Listen, Scar… I’m sorry,” you said gently, scooting a bit closer. “I’m really sorry about your leg- I didn’t want them to amputate it, but the vet said it was rotting, and you’d dust if they didn’t.”

Scar said nothing, just looked away and curled up tight. You drew Noodle a little closer.

“We’re not going to hurt you. And there’s not going to be anymore fighting or anything like that- you’re safe here. I spent a couple thousand to keep you alive, I’m not interested in sending you back so you can get even more roughed up in some illegal bitty battle ring.”

“So I’m a prisoner, then?” he grumbled.

“No! Of course not, you’re free to go as soon as you’re healed, but you’re also free to stay,” you said, a bit exasperated, but doing your best to hide it. “You don’t look like a bitty that’s ever had a proper home before… you should give it a try.”

Scar blinked up at you, as though the words actually might’ve got through to him. Noodle leaned up and patted your finger.

“Yes! And this human is very nice- you know, I was going to be killed for being pregnant, but they found me and took me in, and they’re going to help me with my baby,” he added. “You don’t have to be scared of them.”

Scar seemed to consider what Noodle had said. You prayed he would listen to another bitty more than you, because then at least somebody would be able to comfort him. Eventually the injured dude just shook his head and curled back up around his leg.

Well, it was progress, at least.

“Are you hungry?” you asked.

“Literally starving,” he said with a huff. “If you hadn’t taken my leg I could go out and find something to eat.”

“No need,” you said, ignoring his rude comment once more. “We’ve got some stuff right here. Do you like bananas?”

Scar’s hunger outweighed his defiance.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> double chapter update... start!
> 
> this was another sponsored chapter! thanks again to all the ppl who sponsored stuff from me, i appreciate it so much <3 [dollhouse-monsters](http://dollhouse-monsters.tumblr.com/%22) is still the illustrator for the fic, and they're still amazing, so go follow them and give them love! 
> 
>  
> 
> [january fic update!](http://theperfecta.tumblr.com/post/169329545939/january)

“Oof!”

You watched Noodle as he sat down on his usual makeshift bitty seat on the table, maneuvering around his impossibly pregnant tummy. You smiled while he huffed, rubbing the distended surface.

“You good?”

“I’m fine… I just wish this baby would come out already!” he said, but his loving look downward gave him away. 

“Any day now, I’m assuming,” you said, reaching over and giving the big round belly in question a boop. “Any good names in mind?”

“That’s your job,” Noodle teased, sitting up at much as he could and digging into his Saturday morning eggs

You smirked, but did the same. Scar watched the whole thing from his own seat with a distrusting edge to his glare.

A week had passed since his arrival. Getting him to take his medicine had been a chore at first, but after you threatened him with no more bananas, he was complacent. He wasn’t a talker, at least not yet, choosing instead of sit and watch you and Noodle banter.

“How’re the eggs, Scar?” the pregnant bitty asked, still smiling from the conversation. He motioned to you for a moment. “Sometimes they put a little too much salt.”

“Hey!”

Noodle giggled.

Scar made a noise in his throat and continued to eat, looking very uncomfortably sat. You frowned. He was still getting used to his missing leg, which you couldn’t blame him for.

“We have eggs every Saturday,” Noodle explained, apparently keen to go on even if Scar didn’t reply. “Scrambled eggs- one time we tried over-easy, they came out… ah, not well,” he said, giving you a cheerful eye.

“They came out great, if you’re into things that are terrible,” you defended.

Scar laughed. Both you and Noodle perked up at the noise, but when the injured skeleton saw the two of you staring, he immediately blushed and bent down over his eggs again.

It was progress, though. You continued to eat, happy with the little chortle, until you heard Scar make a little noise.

“You must be. Look at your choice in bitties.”

You bristled at once, the comment enough to wipe the smile from Noodle’s face. 

“Hey now… I know you’re upset, but Noodle-”

“I’m not talking about him,” Scar said quietly, abandoning his food to curl up around his leg. He looked so very tiny, drawn into himself on the kitchen table. The poor thing had been quiet and dejected, so the sudden self degradation didn’t surprise you. Still hurt, though.

“Oh? And what makes  _ you _ terrible?” you asked, voice going soft. When had you gotten so soft? “You’re just a little rough around the edges.”

“Hah! Hah.. you’re joking,” Scar deadpanned, looking you in the eye. “The only thing I could do for shit was fight. That’s all I am- I’m a fighting bitty. And now I’m just… nothing. I’m nothing.”

“What you can do doesn’t define who you are,” you said at once, feeling like a motivational cat poster. “‘Sides, when have you ever tried anything else? Maybe you’re… I dunno, a really ballin’ painter or something. You ever tried painting?”

Scar sighed. “No.”

“Well there you go.”

“They’re right, Scar,” Noodle chipped in with a gentle smile. “I know we haven’t known each other for long, but I think you’re great! Maybe a little moody, but great.”

The bitty wiped away what appeared to be the beginnings of tears. You felt so bad for the little thing- he really was going through hell, but he was doing well all things considered. You reached out to him and offered him your hand.

At first, he didn’t do anything. It was like he was trying to be brave, or prove himself… but eventually, maybe, he realized… there was no point. 

He reached out and hugged your thumb, hiding his tears in your skin. You made a soft noise, sad and happy somehow at the same time, and exchanged a meaningful glance with Noodle. You were reminded of the day he’d told you about his past, and how he’d cried tiny, itty-bitty tears into your hand.

Progress felt good sometimes.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> double chapter update... finish!
> 
> the last sponsored chapter! so after this the fic will go back on hiatus unless another kind soul sponsors, but i appreciate all the love anyways <3 wish i had the time/energy to finish it without the sponsorship aspect, honestly, but with my job and all the other stuff going on right now, it might be quite a while till i can... anyways!  
>  [dollhouse-monsters](http://dollhouse-monsters.tumblr.com/%22) did the COOL AS FUCK illustration so go give them love plz!!
> 
>  
> 
> [january fic update and info about what else got sponsored recently!](http://theperfecta.tumblr.com/post/169329545939/january)

Noodle decided to sleep in Sunday morning. And by ‘decided’ you meant he wouldn’t wake up no matter how many little shakes you gave him, electing instead to groan and sloppily bat you away. It was endearing, so you gave his big ol’ tummy a kiss and went to get your coffee. 

The pot was half-brewed when you heard your name. You perked up, standing straight from your position leaned over the counter and expecting to hear Noodle calling you.

It came again, but that wasn’t the voice you were prepared to hear. You quickly sat your phone down and went to the living room.

Scar was laying in his makeshift t-shirt bed, holding the stump of his leg, curled up, tears in his eyes. He glanced at you before hiccuping and curling tighter.

“What’s wrong?” you asked, bolting to the couch and getting down to be level with the cushion he was on. 

He opened his mouth to speak, but instead hissed through his fangs and whimpered. Your heart ached for the little thing, and without thinking you reached out and rested your hand against the curve of his back.

His reaction was immediate. He jolted, turning around with lightning speed, and sunk his teeth into your thumb.

It happened so suddenly, you hardly had the time to mentally prepare for it. Your body screamed to  _ fling the little shit _ but you didn’t want to hurt him. You just winced as the sharp teeth dug into your skin, breaking it.

Scar seemed to realize what he was doing as soon as he’d done it. His good eye went comically wide as he jerked away, leaving your poor, multiply-stabbed hand to bleed freely. 

“F-Fuck, I’m- I didn’t- I didn’t mean to…” Scar whined, moving away from you. You were still a little surprised, so you just stared down at the hand in question for a moment. It was hardly even bleeding, and the pain was already starting to fade.

“Wow, you got some chompers,” you said stupidly, moving your hand around, flexing the muscles. It took you a few seconds to look at Scar where he was, pressed against the back of the couch, eyes filled with horror.

“I… I-I…” he went on, shaking. You frowned.

“Woah, hey- Scar-” you said, and your stupid animal brain convinced you that touch meant reassurance. 

When he saw your hand come closer, he flung his arms over his head and curled in on himself with a sad, pathetic little noise.

“Don’t hit me!”

Oh, wow, you were an idiot. You jerked your hand away from him at once, the pain from his bite totally forgotten.

The poor thing. He was still hiding himself as much as possible, his whole body wracked with tremors. You actually sat there and thought about the situation for half a second.

He’d been in pain. He thought you were going to hit him. He bit you, and now he was expecting punishment. 

“I’m sorry…” he whined while you processed the situation.

“Aw jeez…” you breathed. You sat back on your knees with a sad sigh, completely at a loss. Scar peaked out at you when he saw you move and you caught sight of the tears in his eyes.

“I-I didn’t… mean to-” he began in an uncharacteristically timid voice.

“It’s okay,” you said at once. You tried to give him a smile, but it probably looked more like a wince. “I shouldn’t have tried to touch you… not your fault, little dude.”

Scar still held his defensive position, but now his face was clear and you could see how damn awful he looked. Dark bags under his sockets, eyelights weak, the large, unsightly scar over his one eye looking worse than ever. 

“Scar… I know you haven’t known me for long, but…” you rubbed the back of your neck. “I wouldn’t ever hit you.”

That just made him sniffle and look away, but his posture relaxed. He seemed to realize the situation, but god…

“He used to hit me. When I fought back.” 

You stared down at the carpet. What could you even say to that?

“I… I bit him once…” Scar went on, still crying. “He smacked me, and I hit the wall; I don’t even remember what happened, I-I just… he said the scar from it made me look cool.” Scar touched the mark over his eye before he hugged himself. “And… a-and I…”

“Shh, hey, you’re alright,” you stopped him, because his babbling wasn’t helping the situation and you didn’t know how much more you could take. You moved forward but didn’t try to touch him again, just slowly offered him your hand, which he latched onto at once.

“I don’t- know what to do-” he sobbed. You used your free hand to hold his back while he clung to your fingers and bawled. “Everything hurts- a-and I don’t- I… I’m  _ scared _ .”

“It’s okay to be scared,” you said, rubbing his spine. 

Scar was a snotty, trembling mess. You were almost glad he didn’t try to speak again, because your poor chest felt like it was being compressed by a ton of bricks. You felt so fucking bad for him- for all he’d been through. Noodle at least had had a home, and friends, but one bad experience had led him to you. Scar… from what you’d gleaned, his whole entire  _ life _ had been a series of nothing but bad experiences, with nobody to call a family and nowhere to call home.

You got him to calm down after a while. He went nonverbal, but you were okay with that. You could relate. You took him to the kitchen and saw his bottle of bitty pain medicine on the counter and nearly smacked yourself.

Of course he’d woken up in awful pain. You’d forgotten his meds the night before.

You settled down at the table, gently rubbing at Scar’s back as you saw fit, sipping at your coffee and quietly humming. The vibration was probably relaxing- maybe like a cat when it purred. Scar didn’t seem to mind, his body starting to finally relax and the pathetic sniffles beginning to quiet.

Eventually, after quite a while, Scar shifted in your grip and looked up at you.

“I… I need help,” he admitted in the most defeated little voice.

“That’s okay,” you said, leaning down to give him a kiss just like you would with your other bitty. “I’m right here. Me ‘n Noodle are both here, and we’re gonna help you however we can, alright?”

Scar stared right up into your eyes, seemingly into your soul. He sniffled and nodded.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for such a delay! the fic is pretty close to being done, hope you've all enjoyed it up until this point <3
> 
> as always, the baller illustration was done by my buddy em, who you should go check out on their blogs!! [Balatronical](http://balatronical.tumblr.com/) and [dollhouse-monsters](http://dollhouse-monsters.tumblr.com/)

 

“Noodle, dude, what are you doing?”

You stood in the doorway to your bedroom, Scar held in your palms as the bitty ate an apple slice. You’d been looking for Noodle, and now that you’d found him, you had a lot of questions.

“I’m making a nest,” he replied, from his position on the floor, in the corner. You raised a brow.

He’d taken scraps of pretty much anything he could find and piled it up in the corner of your bedroom, between your dresser and the wall. A couple of stuffed animals, a spare set of sheets, some feathers that you had _no_ idea how he’d obtained, anything soft that he could carry was resting in the corner.

“For… what?” you asked, shifting to lean against the doorway. Scar watched the exchange while he chomped away.

“For… you know! Purposes!” Noodle said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. He’d found an old, probably dirty pair of socks under your bed and was in the middle of shoving them into his makeshift nest.

“Is my bed not good enough for ya anymore?” you joked.

Noodle huffed, clearly worn out and tired from his exertions. “I’m just… I’m making a nest, and that’s that!”

“Can I make a nest, too?” Scar teased, looking up at you. You sighed and used your finger to wipe off some of the apple juice on his chin- he was going to need a bath after that messy snack.

“Noodle, you don’t need to make a nest… we can find you a nice soft bed at the store to-”

“I’m doing it myself, thank you!” he snapped. You blinked at his rudeness but didn’t question it.

“Alright, well… you should take a break soon,” you said. “You’re gonna overexert yourself, little guy.”

“I’m fine,” he said, fixing up the positions of the socks and the stuffed frog before carefully picking his way into the soft pile and snuggling in. “See? Perfectly Noodle shaped.”

You shared a look with Scar before you shrugged and went back to the kitchen, questions left unanswered.

 

 

“Easy, you’re gonna fall,” you said gently, a hand held up with your newest bitty clutched to it. You were helping him walk along the tabletop, a dowel rod cut and tied to his stump as a very crude peg leg.

Scar grunted, legs quaking. He hadn’t exerted himself in over a week, he probably wasn’t used to it.

“Are you sure it doesn’t hurt?”

“I’m fine,” he growled, but the sweat on his forehead and the way his teeth ground together made you think otherwise.

“Let’s work some more tomorrow, okay bud? I don’t want you to overdo it.”

“You said you’d help me walk!” he whined, sounding like a kid. You gave him a fond look and a gently skull noogie.

“And I am. But it’s a process, and until I can save up enough money and find somebody to make you a real prosthetic, there’s only so much we can do.”

Scar flushed and looked away. He’d already protested you spending more money on him, but after thinking about it and realizing he’d likely never walk again without a replacement for his leg, he’d stopped complaining.

“How are you feeling?” you asked him as you took him into your palms and untied the rod. He sighed in contentment when it came off. No more of that, if it was hurting him.

“Okay, I guess. Could be a lot better.”

“I know,” you replied. You were just happy he was opening up to you and being amicable. “It’ll get better, little dude.”

Scar nodded, looking a little embarrassed, just as you heard your name called from your bedroom. You gave Scar a nod as you got up, leaving him on the table for the moment and going to find Noodle standing in your bedroom doorway.

“What’s wrong, buddy?” you asked, crouching down to get on level with him.

“I-” he cut himself off to wince. He had pinpricks of tears in his sockets. “I-I think… I need a nap,” he said, rubbing at his stomach.

You made a soft noise in your throat before reaching forward and carefully scooping him into you hands. “I told you not to work yourself too hard, little guy.”

“I wanted to finish my nest,” he whimpered, clutching at your thumb and rubbing his skull into your skin.

You carried him to the bed and sat him down on the pillow, mindful of his cargo. You paused and stared at his swollen stomach.

“You think the baby’s coming soon?”

Noodle nodded. He reached his arms out to you and you moved your hand back to him at once.

“I’m scared,” he whispered, softly enough that you hardly heard him. “I… what if… something goes wrong?”

“Nothing is going to go wrong, you’re going to be fine,” you reassured him. “I’m right here, and Scar can help too. And if something does go wrong, I can take you to the vet. I’m sure they could help.”

“No!” Noodle said at once, squeezing you as he winced and tensed his body. “I- ah- no, I don’t… I don’t want that.”

“Nood…”

“I don’t want to go back there,” he said with finality. “No matter what.”

You gulped, at a loss on what to say. You supposed this was his choice… the implication that he’d rather, at worst, die than go back to his previous life was a bit worrying.

“If… if something goes wrong, bud, and the only way to save you is to take you to the vet, I’m going to take you,” you said, rubbing at the tears in his sockets. “I love you too much to let you get hurt, Noodle.”

He hiccuped. You rubbed his back and his sides and his belly, as gently as you could. After a few minutes, you went and got Scar and settled him into his comfy, fuzzy cat bed on your night stand before cuddling up with Noodle on the bed, his small frame clutched in your palm. He wiggled and squirmed and tensed now and again, and you felt so bad for the thing.

You were half asleep, Noodle restless in your palm, when you heard your name gently called from the stand.

“Mm? What’s up, bud?” you whispered, trying not to wake Noodle.

Scar rubbed his arm, a furious red blush on his face that you could see even in the dark room..

Your tired brain took a moment to understand. When you did, you smiled and reached over to scoop him up.

He didn’t say another word, just curled himself into your palm and relaxed into the heat of your body.

Both bitties were sleeping soon enough. You stayed awake, questions and concerns about Noodle plaguing your mind. He kept jerking and whining into your hand, making you wonder if he was really okay.

Oh well. There wasn’t a lot you could do. You just sighed and closed your eyes, but sleep was slow to come and take you.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry its been literally a month, i've been exhausted lately and haven't had the energy to do much of anything. gotta go see the doc about that. 
> 
> anyways here is noodle! ;^3c GO GIVE [dollhouse-monsters](http://dollhouse-monsters.tumblr.com/) ALL THE LOVE, not one but TWOO pics for this chapter,, so good, i'm cryin

You were woken by furious thumping on your wrist. You groaned and went to move when you noticed that your hand was very… wet.

“Wake up! Wake up, I’m- ngh-” Noodle’s voice broke through the sleepy haze and you were up in seconds. The adrenaline pumped as you gently sat him down from your hand and flicked on the lamp, Scar deposited close beside him as you sat up.

“I’m scared,” Noodle cried, arms up for comfort. As he did so, you saw him wince and curl into himself to a degree. 

“Oh sh- I mean, crap.” You inspected your hand. “Uh… buddy, I think your water broke.”

“I know! I… ah- hh,” he breathed heavily, the contraction lasting for over half a minute. You swallowed. This was happening. You looked at the alarm clock- 3 am was as good a time as any to have a baby, you guessed.

“Okay, shh, everything’s fine,” you said, scooping Noodle up, careless of the moisture. You’d read it was usually odorless and nothing to worry about, so you took that to heart. You exchanged a look with Scar, who seemed absolutely terrified. 

“Everything- everything’s not fine!” Noodle exclaimed, tears falling down his face. “I’m- it- I’m not ready!”

“They’re just contractions buddy, it’s okay,” you comforted. “Everything’s going fine, okay, this is normal.”

Noodle whined, but didn’t protest further as you hurriedly took Scar in your clean hand and rushed them both to the bathroom, where everything had been set up some weeks ago.

You’d read… some things, about pregnancy. Most of the stuff involved doctors, so you’d skipped over those bits. You sat Noodle down on a warm, dry cloth, head and back propped up, careful not to jostle him too much. Nearby were other dry cloths and miscellaneous other things you thought you might need- a little ball for him to bounce on, an empty tub that could be filled with warm water, and one of those travel DVD players you had stored in your closet, in case he needed something to distract from the labor. 

“Okay, bud, let’s get those pants off,” you said, helping him with shaking fingers out of his pajama pants. You’d cut a small square out of a sheet to drape over him, since you couldn’t find a hospital gown for four inch tall skeletons.

Noodle’s current contraction came to a close and he let out a sigh of relief. The poor thing looked tired, and frightened, but most of all he looked… ready to be done. You couldn’t blame him, little thing had looked like he’d swallowed a grape for over a month. 

“Okay, so… I’m not a doctor, but I know contractions are for dilating and effacing your cervix,” you explained, though you’d gone over this with him in weeks prior. “So we just have to wait it out until you’re dilated enough to have the baby.”

Noodle nodded. He whined, arms coming up, and you huffed but obliged him, holding your hand out so he could latch on and sniffle into your skin.

Scar stood by and watched it all in nervous anticipation. You gave him a look, one that you hoped conveyed that everything was fine, and he returned it with a sidelong glance and a frown. He was trying to give Noodle privacy, but his help might be necessary.

“H-Human, what if-”

“Nothing is going to go wrong, Noodle, you’re doing great,” you cut him off, giving him your best smile. “I don’t know how monster birth works, but we’re gonna get through this. Together.”

That seemed to put him at ease- until his next contraction stole him away as he grunted. Wow, they looked pretty strong- you’d read some people went through labor much more quickly than others, but the little guy looked like he was having a very rough time.

You hoped it would be over soon.

 

Thing went on like that for almost three hours. Your online research had told you that wasn’t at all uncommon, but seeing Noodle in progressively worse pain really made your heart squeeze. You’d popped in a few disney movies to help him keep his mind off of the pain, but he was still wheezing and sweating after each contraction took its toll. 

Scar’s nerves had ebbed and he quickly got over the whole ‘naked’ thing, sitting close beside Noodle to watch the movies, offering his presence as nonverbal support. You had to admit, it took you awhile to get over those weird, semi-transparent skeleton legs and torso as well, but Noodle said he felt hot and restricted in his top, so now he was completely naked, sheet draped over him. It kept slipping down when he’d shift and whine with the contractions and you had to look away to give him some privacy as his little skeleton boobies poked out. 

It was almost four hours after you’d woken up when Noodle finally spread his legs wider and yelped.

“Ahhh- I- This baby needs to come out,” he whimpered, huffing and wincing as the contraction took him. 

“You think it’s time to push?” you asked. You were tired, but Noodle had hardly let go of your hand the whole ordeal. You didn’t blame him.

“Is he dilated enough?” Scar asked. 

“It’s been four hours… if you think it’s time, it probably is,” you said. “Do you want me to look?”

Noodle tersely nodded. You took a peak under his sheet, eyes absolutely lost in the mess of blue ghost flesh that greeted you, but you saw something poking out and you swallowed.

“Yeah, bud, I think it’s safe to push. Next contraction you just do your best, okay?”

Noodle nodded, the sweat absolutely pouring from his skull. You turned to Scar.

“You should come over and get ready- you might need to support the baby as it comes out. My big dumb human hands are too enormous.”

Noodle breathlessly giggled at the words, only to wince as another contraction hit. He whined, which quickly turned into a shout, and then a scream, as he bore down on the baby and started to push.

Scar didn’t look anywhere near ready to help, but he did without question as the worst of it began.

It lasted a few minutes, a few terrifying, awful minutes, but soon…

Tiny, impossibly small cries filled the tiled bathroom. Scar blinked as he held up the source of the sound… a tiny, impossibly small little skeleton was cradled in his arms. 

You felt yourself nearly melt. Noodle was still panting and grunting, overexertion plaguing his bones, but he quickly reached out his arms and Scar brought the baby to him.

Relief flooded through you like a river. Noodle smiled, little sockets filled with stars as he held his crying child. Scar stood beside, and you hunched over with tears in your eyes.

Everybody was okay. Nothing had gone wrong. 

Your bitty bone count was up to three.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand here we are, the last chapter! I'd like to thank everybody for reading and getting this fic to over 1000 kudos (phew that's a lot OvO) and a BIG thank you to [dollhouse-monsters](http://dollhouse-monsters.tumblr.com/) for doing all the illustrations! 
> 
> I'm also having a fanart contest for this fic and all of my others here on this account! If you're interested in winning free fics and other cool stuff check out the post [HERE!](http://theperfecta.tumblr.com/post/174922913474/spectascopes-fanart-contest)

The next couple of days passed by in a blur. The baby was healthy and happy- a little boney bean that was so small you didn’t dare touch it aside from a tap on the forehead here and there. You were afraid your big human hands would crush it. 

“Human, it won’t dust if you hold it,” Noodle said as the four of you sat at the table eating breakfast, the dawn of the third day since the baby arrived quickly approaching. You watched as the little thing nursed, so small and helpless. 

“Hey, I have a good reason not to. Scar should be the one under fire,” you said. Which made the second-newest bitty blush. 

“I, uhm… my LV is too high, what if I rub off on it?” Scar said lamely. You scoffed at him while Noodle chuckled.

“That isn’t how LV works, Scar… but you don’t have to hold them, it’s alright,” Mama Noodle said. Goodness, he looked tired, even after so many days. But happy. He looked very happy.

The baby, the littlest bag of bones, fussed for a moment and let go of the weird blue ecto-nipple. Noodle covered himself up and quickly went to rocking them, cooing little words. It was so sweet. Your relief was still palpable.

“So… what are you going to call them?” you asked.

Noodle winced as he stared down at the child. “I… I don’t know. It might sound silly, but…” Noodle looked away. “I feel like, if I name them, then they’re my responsibility.” His voice went even softer. “I’m not sure I’m ready to be a father.”

“Hey, I’m not ready to be a parent either, but here we are,” you said, then reached over and booped Scar. “And I’m sure this ornery little fellow isn’t ready to be an uncle. But we’re all in this together, just like High School Musical, so don’t worry.”

“You should still be the one to name them,” Scar added, rubbing his stump of a leg absentmindedly. 

“I know, I know, I just…” Noodle sighed, arms full of the little beany baby. He stared down at them fondly. 

“Do you think… we could lie?”

You raised a brow. “About…?”

“About me being the parent,” Noodle explained, blushing. 

“You want us to tell him  _ Scar  _ was preggo?”

“That’s not what I mean! I meant… what if we told them they’re adopted? Or… maybe… my little sibling?”

You hummed. That… wasn’t a bad idea. 

“If you’re not ready to take on the role of parent…” you said quietly, “maybe that’s the best option. When they’re older maybe you can tell them the truth, but for now…”

“I don’t want to lie, but I’m so nervous. I’m so young myself, I don’t know if… if I  _ want _ to be a parent,” Noodle went on. You leaned forward over the table and gave him a little smooch on the skull. It might have been a little late for this decision, but now was better than never.

“That’s completely valid, little Nood,” you said gently, giving the baby a warm look. “So, from now on, they’re just your little sibling. Lil bro, lil sis, lil sib, whatever they choose to be.”

Noodle smiled. 

“You still haven’t picked out a name, though,” Scar pointed out. “Unless you’re going to name it Naruto as the human suggested.”

You snorted. Little baby Naruto didn’t like the noise, apparently, because they immediately began to fuss. You smiled as Noodle shot you a dirty look.

“Well, I did have one in mind… it’s a pretty standard name for a bitty, but, I knew a lot of skeletons called ‘Sans’ and I always really liked the name.”

“Oh yeah, like, the type of bitty. You think they’re a Sans?”

“I think so,” Noodle said, running hand along their little skull to sooth them. “And most bitties get nicknames, so I think it would make them feel special, you know, to just be Sans, instead of something else.”

“A little Sans in a house of Papyruses…” you whispered, head propped up on your hand as you stared down at all three of your little guys. “I like it.”

Noodle smiled. Sans gave a little coo, as if in agreement with their new name. Scar was even giving the bitty baby a happy look, all three of the adults present just sort of relieved the thing was okay, and that Noodle was, too.

Things were good. Now that the baby was here, you could find Scar a prosthetic leg. He could help with the baby until they were big enough for you to hold, and all three of you could help one another to be better, and in the bittys’ cases, to heal.

You couldn’t wait to see what Sans grew up to be.


End file.
